Gondal is a city of about 115,000 residents and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of about 175,000 in the

Rajkot district Rajkot district is one of the 33 districts of the Indian state of Gujarat. Located in Saurashtra peninsula, Rajkot city is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is the third-most advanced district in Gujarat and the fourth most po ...

of the Indian state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. Gondal State was one of the eight first-class

princely states A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, subject to ...

Kathiawar Agency The Kathiawar Agency, on the Kathiawar peninsula in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, was a political unit of some 200 small princely states under the suzerainty of the Bombay Presidency of British India. The agency's headquarters wer ...

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. Ruled by a Hindu

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

dynasty of the

Jadeja The Jadeja (also spelled Jarejo) (Gujarati: ) is a Rajput clan that inhabits the Indian state of Gujarat. They claim to be descended from the legendary Jamshed of Iran. They also claim descent from Krishna. They originated from pastoral communit ...

clan, the capital of the state was Gondal town.

History

Gondal is mentioned in texts like ''

Ain-i-Akbari The ''Ain-i-Akbari'' ( fa, ) or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document recording the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl in the Persian language. It for ...

'' (written in the reign of

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

) and ''Mirat-i-Ahmadi'' as a Vaghela state in Sorath ( Saurashtra). The Gondal State in

was founded in 1634 by

Thakore Shri Kumbhoji I Meramanji The Thakore, ઠાકોર may refer to : * The Indian title Thakor commonly spelled Thakore, Thakur, an official but also the style of rulers of various princely states. Thakor is Koli Surname like any other in Koli Community. * members of the ...

from the

dynasty, who received Ardoi and other villages from his father Meramanji. Kumbhoki's fourth descendant, Kumbhoji IV, increased the size of the state by acquiring

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

s such as Dhoraji, Upleta, and Sarai.Gondal state
''

The Imperial Gazetteer of India ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' was a gazetteer of the British Indian Empire, and is now a historical reference work. It was first published in 1881. Sir William Wilson Hunter made the original plans of the book, starting in 1869.< ...

'', 1908. v. 12, ''p. 319'' Sir Bhagwant Singhji, who reigned from 1888 until his death in 1944, was noted for tax reforms, compulsory education for women, and also for stopping the practice of

purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of female seclusion prevalent among some Muslim and Hindu communities. It takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes and the requirement that wom ...

(female seclusion) at a time when the royal households of India were known for this tradition. In 1901, Gondal city had a population of 19,592, and was a stop on the branch line between Rajkot and Jetalsar on the Viramgam–Rajkot and Rajkot–Somnath lines. The ancestors of

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

, founder of Pakistan, belong to Paneli village in Gondal state.

Historical places

The Naulakha Palace is the oldest extant palace in Gondal, dating back to the 17th century. It has

stone carving Stone carving is an activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, stone work has survived which was created during our prehistory or past time. Work carried ...

s with

jharokha The Jharokha is a stone window projecting from the wall face of a building, in an upper story, overlooking a street, market, court or any other open space. A common feature in classical Indian architecture, most prominent in Rajasthan. It is su ...

s (enclosed balconies), a pillared courtyard, delicately carved arches, and a unique spiral staircase. The large chandelier-lit

durbar Durbar can refer to: * Conference of Rulers, a council of Malay monarchs * Durbar festival, a yearly festival in several towns of Nigeria * Durbar floor plate, a hot-rolled structural steel that has been designed to give excellent slip resistance ...

(court) contains stuffed

panthers Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **''Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. ***Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in Sout ...

, gilt wooden furniture, and antique mirrors. The Private Palace Museum has a display of silver caskets which were used to carry messages and gifts for Maharajah Bhagvatsinhji during his silver jubilee as ruler of Gondal. The Riverside Palace was built in 1875 by Maharajah Bhagwat Sinhji for his son, Yuvraj Bhojraji. It has groomed lawns and gardens, a living room furnished in typical

colonial style American colonial architecture includes several building design styles associated with the colonial period of the United States, including First Period English (late-medieval), French Colonial, Spanish Colonial, Dutch Colonial, and Georgian. ...

with chandelier, antique wooden furniture and sofas, and an "Indian room" decorated with

beadwork Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

ware and paintings. The palace has now become a heritage hotel. The Huzoor Palace is the current royal residence. One wing of this palace, called the Orchard palace, is open to the public. It was built as an annex of the Huzoor Palace in the late 19th century to host guests of the Maharajas. The property gets its name from the fruit

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

s, lawns and gardens that surround the palace. Orchard Palace was converted into a seven-room heritage hotel decorated with 1930s–1940s art deco furniture, antiques and handicrafts. The garden contains many types of birds, including a large population of peacocks. The Room of Miniatures is a sitting room with a collection of

miniature painting Miniature painting may refer to: * Miniature (illuminated manuscript), a small illustration used to decorate an illuminated manuscript * Persian miniature, a small painting on paper in the Persian tradition, for a book or album * Ottoman miniature, ...

s, brass, and furniture. One of the highlights of the palace is the Rail Saloon of the royal family of Gondal which has been converted into a suite with a drawing room, dining room and bedroom. The royal garages have an extensive collection of

vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...

and

classic car A classic car is an older car, typically 25 years or older, though definitions vary.While other languages, such as German and Dutch, may refer to classic cars as "oldtimers", this usage is unknown in English, where "old-timer" refers to an elder ...

Thakurs

The rulers of Gondal were Thakurs of the

dynasty who had the right to an 11-

gun salute A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number (''21-gun salute''), with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world. Histo ...

. They bore the title 'Thakur Sahib' from 1866 onwards.

Religious sites

Gondal - Swaminarayan Temple, Gujarat - India (3417863798)

The people of the Gondal, as in most of the other parts of Saurashtra, are considered highly spiritual. The temples in Gondal include Akshar Mandir and Deri (BAPS Swaminarayan), Shri Trikamrayji Haveli, Shri Madanmohanji ni haveli (Moti Haveli), Shri Ramji Mandir, Bhuvneshwari Mandir (one of the few temples in India dedicated to this Goddess), Ashapura Mata, Sureshwar Mahadev, Dhareshwar Mahadev, Kashi Vishwanath Mahadev and the massive Ambey Dham (Ramanath) Temple. There is also another Pushtimargiya Haveli and Swaminarayan temple in the city centre. The Akshar Deri, housed within the Akshar Mandir, is the samadhi sthan (memorial site) of

Gunatitanand Swami Gunatitanand Swami (28 September 1784 – 11 October 1867), born Mulji Jani, was a prominent paramhansa of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya who was ordained by Swaminarayan and is accepted as the first spiritual successor of Swaminarayan by the ...

, who was a

paramhansa Paramahamsa (Sanskrit: परमहंस, Bengali: পরমহংস, romanized: Pôromohôṅso; pronounced ɔromoɦɔŋʃo, also spelled paramahansa or paramhansa, is a Sanskrit religio-theological title of honour applied to Hindu spiritual ...

Swaminarayan Swaminarayan (IAST: ', 3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and Asceticism, ascetic, who is believed by followers to be a manifestation of God Krishna, or as the highest Theophany, manifestation of ...

, and is accepted as the first spiritual successor of Swaminarayan by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). This temple is visited by people from all over the world. Dasi Jeevan Mandir (temple) in Ghoghavadar, from Gondal, is a site where Saint Dasi Jeevan lived. Every Gujarati New Year day, people gather to celebrate the holy saint's birthday. Anand Ashrama, located easterly to Gondal close to Ghoghavadar, is a research center for folklore and Gujarati literature.

Geography

Gondal is located at . It has an average elevation of 132 metres (433 feet).

Demographics

Total Population of Gondal City as per last census was 113,000 Approx. while the Average Literacy rate is 84.3% much higher than the national average of 59% . The Demographic Distribution of the Gondal city as per 2011 census is as mentioned below :

Culture and economy

Gondal - Swaminarayan Temple, Gujarat - India (3417857288)

Gondal has a history of art and literature. It is the birthplace of poets, singers and artists like

Pankaj Udhas Pankaj Udhas (born 17 May 1951) is an Indian ghazal and playback singer. He started his career with a release of a ghazal album titled ''Aahat'' in 1980 and subsequently recorded many hits like ''Mukarar'' in 1981, ''Tarrannum'' in 1982, ''Mehf ...

Manhar Udhas Manhar Udhas is a Hindi and Gujarati language singer and Bollywood playback singer. Early life Manhar Udhas is the eldest son of Keshubhai Udhas and Jituben Udhas, and the elder brother of singers Pankaj Udhas and Nirmal Udhas. He completed his ...

Nirmal Udhas Nirmal Udhas is a ghazal singer and the second brother of the Udhas brothers, the others being Manhar Udhas and Pankaj Udhas. They came from a humble background in Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coast ...

, Dhumketu,

Makarand Dave Makarand Dave, also referred as Sai Makarand Dave, was a Gujarati poet and author from Gujarat, India. Biography Dave was born in Gondal (now in Rajkot district, Gujarat) on 13 November 1922 to Vajeshankar Dave. After completing his school educ ...

, Jay Vasavada. The first Gujarati dictionary was compiled by the Chief Education Officer, Chandrakant Bechardas Patel in Gondal with the financial support of Sir Bhagvatsighji Maharaj. The Patel family was awarded the king's summer palace on Palace Road called Geeta Bhuvan and its surrounding lands for their life's work. This all-encompassing Gujarati dictionary called the Bhagvat GoMandal is available on both the App Store & Play Store in form of an appdirect descendant/left coast native/lifelong Wikipedia supporter Janmashtami is a major and important festival and usually a week-long holiday. The 'Janmashtami Lok Mela' is organized for five to seven days at Sangramsinhji highschool ground (college chowk) to celebrate Janmashtami. The largest factors in the economy of Gondal are oil mills and marketing yards. Gondal is the largest producer of ground nut oil in Gujarat, with 300–500 oil mills. The marketing yard is one of the biggest in the Kathiawar region and the second largest in Gujarat, after

Unjha Unjha is a town and a municipality in the Mehsana district of the Indian state of Gujarat. Unjha is 26 km north of Mehsana and 102 km north of Ahmedabad. Geography Unjha is located at . It has an average elevation of 111 metres (3 ...

. Gondal is growing in the cotton trade with the development of many ginning and pressing industries. In addition, there are two

Ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

(alternative) medicine manufacturers in Gondal that export overseas, as well as businesses involved in jewelry design, timber trading, and hardware manufacturing. Farming is important in the outskirts of Gondal despite a shortage of water. The markets for most commodities in Gondal are in two areas known as Nani

Bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

(small market) and Moti Bazaar (large market). The main business areas in Gondal include Town Hall, Gundala Street, Nani Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Kadiyalane, Bus stand road, and Kumbharwada. Transportation from other parts of the country is primarily by road and rail. Gondal railway station, under the Bhavnagar railway division, serves Gondal city. The main residential areas in Gondal include Bhojrajpara, G. Parekh Street,Khandheria Street, Gundala Street, Mahadevwadi, Housing Board, Station Plot, Gundala Road, Yoginagar, Kashi Vishwanath road, Kadavani Nagar, Shajanand Nagar, Khodiyar Nagar and Gokul Dham. The most upscale residential areas in Gondal are Bhojrajpara and Kailashbag, which are near to the bus station and the main market. Gardens and parks include Tulsi Baugh and Ashapura Gardens. The schools in Gondal include St. Mary's School, Vidhya mandir, Patel Boarding, Akshar Purshotam Swami Narayan High School, and Highway Gurukul. Monghiba High school is one of the oldest girls' schools in the region. Other landmarks in Gondal are the Center Theater, the Roma Theater, College Chowk, and the Victory Cinema. In 1947, many people who spoke

Memoni Memoni (ميموني, મેમોની) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken by Memons (Kathiawar), Kathiawari Memons from the Kathiawar region of Gujarat, India. Memon people are a subgroup or an ethnic group that originate ...

migrated to Pakistan.

References

External links

History and all information of Gondal http://www.marugondal.com

Portal of Gondal Business www.gondalonline.com

Portal of Gondal Heritage Palaces www.heritagepalacesgondal.com
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Rajkot district Former capital cities in India 1634 establishments in India Populated places established in 1634